Thomas Edward Thorpe

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Sir Thomas Edward Thorpe (born December 8, 1845 in Harpurhey , Manchester , † February 23, 1925 in Salcombe , Devon ) was a British chemist .

Thomas Edward Thorpe

Life

Thorpe was initially an employee, but then worked as an assistant to chemistry professor Henry Roscoe at the University of Manchester (then Owen's College). He continued his studies at the University of Heidelberg , where he received his doctorate in 1869 , studied with August Kekulé in Bonn and after his return in 1870 became a professor at the University of Strathclyde (then Anderson's University in Glasgow ). He was later at the Yorkshire College of Science (later the University of Leeds ) and from 1885 to 1894 professor at the Normal School of Science in South Kensington (later the Royal College of Science or Imperial College London ). In 1894 he gave up his university career and became head of the Somerset House Laboratory (also called the Government Laboratory ), which he remained until 1909. The laboratory was tasked with chemical tests in the context of public health. His successor in the laboratory was James Johnston Dobbie .

In 1889 he received the Royal Medal for his work on atomic weights. Research into phosphorus oxides helped improve the health of workers in the match industry.

From 1884 to 1888 he took part in the magnetic land survey of Great Britain.

From 1890 to 1893 he edited the Dictionary of Applied Chemistry and wrote several textbooks. In 1895 he was President of the Society of Chemical Industry. In 1871 he was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh . Since 1876 he was a Fellow of the Royal Society , whose Bakerian Lecture he gave several times. In 1913 he was elected a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Saint Petersburg .

In 1909 he was promoted to Knight Bachelor .

He was an avid sailor and wrote two books about it.

Fonts

  • Inorganic Chemistry 1873
  • History of Chemistry 1909
  • Editor: Dictionary of Applied Chemistry, 1890-1893

About sailing:

  • A Yachtman's Guide to the Dutch Waterways, 1905
  • The Seine from Havre to Paris, 1913

literature

  • Obituary by Stubbs, Analyst, Volume 50, 1925, pp. 210-213

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Fellows Directory. Biographical Index: Former RSE Fellows 1783–2002. (PDF file) Royal Society of Edinburgh, accessed April 16, 2020 .
  2. ^ Foreign members of the Russian Academy of Sciences since 1724. Sir Thomas Edward Thorpe. Russian Academy of Sciences, accessed October 28, 2015 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Thorpe, Thomas Edward
BRIEF DESCRIPTION British chemist
DATE OF BIRTH December 8, 1845
PLACE OF BIRTH Harpurhey
DATE OF DEATH February 23, 1925
Place of death Salcombe